Onzow ZeroDust reportedly leaves a residue

Using my Carson 8X magnifier (from office max) and LED flashlight I was able so see a similar debris buildup on my cantilever. At this level of magnify I can't see the stylus very well. 

I eagerly await WallyTools lab analysis of what this stuff is.

Used my supplied AudioTechnica cartridge brush to gently swipe from back to front and after several minutes managed to remove 75% of it. 

I think the common emergent theme here is: don't JUST use a gel pad dip (whether Onzow, DS Audio, etc). You should also implement proper & frequent brushing.

Adding the occasional liquid cleaner might not be a bad idea for some. The ultrasonic cleaning devices look cool. Blutak is perhaps a good gel alternative. ME is also very effective, but its effectiveness varies GREATLY based on how you use it - I'm of the camp that a simple dry dip & lift isn't maximizing its utility; I do a lot more. People get skittish around this stuff, so there's certainly a lot of divergent opinions on how to use that ME.

Many yrs ago a dealer told me never to use those ultra-sonic brushes for they could vibrate the cantilever and possibly damage the suspension. I threw mine out many yrs back. 

Many yrs ago a dealer told me never to use those ultra-sonic brushes for they could vibrate the cantilever and possibly damage the suspension. I threw mine out many yrs back.

Vinyl grooves vibrate the cantilever...up to the suspension...also up into ultrasonic range. I guess the question is whether relatively high energy levels at ultrasonic frequencies are more damaging than even higher energy at low frequencies (which suspensions are quite normally subjected to). But it sounds like the dealer was simply speculating, as we all are a this time.

I reject the notion that seemingly "harsh" cleaning methods are dangerous (when applied properly). The stylus and cantilever have to be able to absorb relatively large forces in normal use. Cue up into the outer lead groove of a 45 RPM 12" and watch it "slam" into the 1st music groove. Any stylus that’s knocked out by a gel dip or a US cleaner or a vigorous brushing (etc) was on its way out very soon, anyways.

When Consuela rips off your Dynavector XV-1s stylus with her feather duster, that’s about 100 - 1,000x more force than the forces described above. These assemblies are delicate on that scale. They’re not so delicate on the former scale, except by manufacturing defect.

I love that my old dealer showed me how he brushed the stylus clean, all the way up the cantilever to the front plate. It was a lot less light-handed than I would've guessed. I would've been too skittish to properly clean if I hadn't seen that. 

I’ve used Onzow’s cleaner fortunately on an Ortofon Cadenza Black. I’ve usually done this lightly, after playing each side of a record for the past 6 months. Yesterday I used a new Flux Hifi "Flux Sonic" cleaner just once, for the suggested 15 seconds with one drop of cleaning fluid, to see if it made any difference. They say their level of ultrasonic cleaning is set to not harm the stylus.

https://www.flux-hifi.de/en/products/flux-sonic/Flux-Sonic.a2b52.php

Luckily I recently bought a UK first press, solid blue triangle, A2/B2 copy of Pink Floyd’s "Dark Side of The Moon" and....well, before the stylus cleaning I wondered what was the fuss about this pressing. Yes, it sounded very good, but the 30th-anniversary pressing might even have just had the edge; however, after the stylus cleaning....WOW!

At the risk of going over the top, hey this is an emotional hobby too, the difference is just stunning to me on my system. There are so many sonic improvements - basically much more detailed, three dimensional sound from bass on up to the top, a slightly wider sound stage.

The record now sounds so different, so fresh, so natural and the band are "in the room"....it is clearly a much better listening experience indeed.

So looking back, the experience with Onzow on the stylus was perhaps akin to being a frog in water, with the water so slowly heating up you do not notice the change. Anyway, my two cents.

For those also using Flux Hifi’s "Sonic Cleaner" how often do you use it please? Thank you very much in advance.